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12 Jan-1 Feb

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Alcaraz defends Roland Garros title in unforgettable Slam final

  • Matt Trollope

In one of the great Grand Slam finals, Carlos Alcaraz staged an exhilarating comeback to beat world No.1 Jannik Sinner on Sunday in Paris.

The second-ranked Alcaraz stared down three match points in the fourth set before completing a 4-6 6-7(4) 6-4 7-6(3) 7-6[10-2] triumph in five hours and 29 minutes – the second-longest major final of all time.

The result sees Alcaraz defend his Roland Garros title while at the same time earn a fifth Grand Slam singles title.

More from Roland Garros

“This one was the most exciting match that I've played so far, without a doubt,” Alcaraz declared.

“I mean, today I think the match had everything, really good moments, really bad moments. [I’m] just really, really happy. I'm proud about how I deal with everything today.

“If you want to win Grand Slams, you have to beat the best tennis players in the world. I think it feels much better when you face them in the final.”

The battle

It was a match of outrageous peaks and absorbing plot twists, one where the first six games alone took more than 40 minutes to complete.

From 2-3 down, Sinner won seven of the next eight games to take control, but Alcaraz rebounded from a set and a break down to send the second set to a tiebreak.

McNamee: Alcaraz “could win 10 Roland Garroses”

Sinner, the reigning US and Australian Open champion, won that, too, for his 31st consecutive Grand Slam set – an extraordinary run Alcaraz snapped by elevating his level in the third.

But in the fourth set, his comeback seemed doomed when Sinner held three consecutive championship points while Alcaraz was serving at 3-5, 0-40.

The Spaniard saved them all, broke Sinner when he served for the title at 5-4, and sent the crowd into a frenzy when he forced a deciding set.

“I was of course disappointed about the fourth set and match points and serving for the match,” reflected Sinner, after losing for the first time in four Grand Slam finals. “But again, I stayed there mentally. I didn't give him any free points.”

SINNER: “Obviously this one hurts”

The Italian produced one final surge, breaking serve when Alcaraz was attempting to close out the match at 5-4.

But the defending champion dominated the ensuing match tiebreak, sealing victory with a running forehand winner down the line.

Jannik Sinner (L) and Carlos Alcaraz share a moment during the trophy ceremony after their 2025 Roland Garros final. [Getty Images]

It means Alcaraz has now won 10 consecutive fifth sets and 13 of 14 overall; the only time someone beat him in a fifth set was Matteo Berrettini, more than four years ago at Australian Open 2021.

He also ended Sinner’s quest for a third straight Grand Slam title, ending the Italian’s 20-match winning streak at the majors.

And he improves to a flawless 5-0 in Grand Slam finals, the best of any man in the Open era except Roger Federer, who won his first seven.

“I just wanted to be one of those players who saved match point in the Grand Slam final and ended up winning,” Alcaraz said.

“I just believe all the time. I have never doubt about myself, even though in those match points down.

“When the situations are against you, let's say that, you have to fight, keep fighting. I mean, it is a Grand Slam final. It's no time to be tired. It's no time to give up.

“I think the real champions are made in that situations when you deal with that pressure… that's what the real champions have done in their whole careers.”

The rivalry

This was the latest epic installment in the burgeoning Alcaraz-Sinner series, and first in a major final.

For the second straight year they battled for five sets in Paris, with Alcaraz winning their semifinal 12 months ago.

It was their third consecutive Grand Slam five-setter, after Alcaraz also saved match point to win their 2022 US Open quarterfinal.

The pair have now won the past six Grand Slam titles between them, with an even split; Alcaraz continues to prevail on the ‘natural’ surfaces of clay and grass while Sinner has collected the past three hard court major trophies.

After their fellow competitors watched in awe as the match unfolded, Alcaraz told Sinner: “It’s a privilege to share the court with you, in every tournament making history with you.”

But the emerging theme is that Alcaraz has the upper hand in the match-up.

The Spaniard has now won their past five meetings and leads the head-to-head 9-4. Sinner’s last win over Alcaraz came in the 2023 Beijing semifinals, nearly two years ago.

“Honestly today there were few moments of the match that, I mean, the level was insane,” Alcaraz said.

 

 

“Every match that I'm playing against him is important honestly. This is the first match in a Grand Slam final. Hopefully not the last time.

“Every time that we face against each other, we raise our level to the top. I think for the people and for the fans are important as well for our matches.

“I'm sure he's going to come back stronger the next time we are going to face against each other. I'm pretty sure he's going to make his homework.

“I'm not going to beat him forever.”

The history

Alcaraz has now featured in a second brilliant five-set Grand Slam final, after he stunned Novak Djokovic to win his first Wimbledon title in 2023.

But this one prompted flashbacks to some of the truly great Grand Slam deciders.

In terms of length it falls between the Australian Open epics of 2012 and 2022, while becoming the longest Roland Garros final in history.

It’s one of the rare finales featuring a comeback from two-sets-to-love down, and is one of just five in the Open era in which the winner has been forced to save a match point.

 

 

It even had journalists recalling the great Wimbledon finals featuring Borg v McEnroe in 1980 and Nadal v Federer in 2008.

“Honestly, if people put our match in that table, it's a huge honour for me,” Alcaraz responded.

“I don't know if it is at the same level as those matches because those matches are the history of tennis and the history of the sport. So I let the people to talk about it if for them are almost the same.

“But for me… [I’m] just happy to put our match and our names in the history of the Grand Slams, in the history of Roland Garros.”

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